The 20 most-blocked keywords in ad campaigns
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Workers install a #VegasStrong banner on the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino Monday, Oct. 16. Photo: John Locher / AP
An analysis of the 20 most blocked keywords monthly from January to October of this year via data from Integral Ad Science shows that marketers are most concerned about gruesome, violent content, like mass shootings, bombings and explosions.
Why it matters: Bad actors abusing the open web with terrorism content and violence are not only challenging our conventional notion of the benefits of the internet, but also forcing regulators to revisit outdated Internet policies.
Data: Axios analysis of Integral Ad Science monthly blocked keywords; Note: Other includes drug and profanity; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios
Keywords blocking marijuana seem to have decreased in the ranks amid crises flooding the news cycle, like multiple terror attacks, bombings, and mass shootings.
References to domestic related events, like "Las Vegas," "Mandalay Bay," and "Charlottesville" were commonly blocked in August, September and October.
Go deeper: Last week, Axios' Kim Hart and I wrote about America waking up to the dark side of the internet.
